Penultimate tragedy of Racine, Esther was written for the “Demoiselles” of the royal house of Saint-Cyr, founded at the initiative of Madame de Maintenon, wife of Louis XIV. It opened in this institution a short-lived tradition of theater with musical interludes. The music involves a three-part instrumental ensemble (prelude, overture, interlude), a choir of girls from Esther’s retinue, solos and vocal ensembles. This edition displays for the first time the declaimed text, preserved in old spelling, and the entire music drawn up from ​​sources contemporary with the creation of the work.

Full score (foreword in French and English, 12 fac-siimiles)
156 pages
ISMN 979-0-56004-025-7

New items published by TREE EDITION July 2011

This manuscript contains 86 pieces for Baroque lute and is the main source for the music
of the Paris master Germain Pinel of whom we find many unica in this handwritten lute book.
Other composers include Dufaut, Denis & Ennemond Gaultier, Strobel, Dubut, Gumprecht
and Mercure. The edition comes in two volumes and contains a complete reprodution of
the manuscript as well as a large essay (in German) on this source and full index
and concordances by François-Pierre Goy.
2 volumes / French tablature / Baroque tuning
Euro 40.-

May be of interest to some. (ed.)

“In October 1998 a rather battered manuscript was put up for auction at Christie’s in New York. It appeared to be a Byzantine prayer-book from the thirteenth century but those taking part in the bidding knew that it contained an important secret.

This month we bring you sev­eral pieces: I con­tinue to ex­pand on my coun­tertenor rel­e­vant vo­cal tech­nique se­ries with the in­tro­duc­tion of a help­ful ex­er­cise called “the flex,” Oliver re­views O Soli­tude – An­dreas Scholl’s lat­est re­lease of Pur­cell songs, and Bryan con­tin­ues his blog about build­ing a ca­reer. We also share a video from Be­jun Mehta’s re­cent Han­del CD, Om­bra cara.

Melusine Wood's previous book, Historical Dances : 12th to 18th Century, was in the nature of an introduction to the subject, each major period being illustrated by one or more typical dances. Here, dances are studied in relation to a definite syllabus, the first Elementary; the second Intermediate, and more difficult of execution. There are also helpful notes on 'Angel Walking', and on the varying modes of deportment during the Middle Ages and the 17th and 18th centuries.

“Our firm was established in 1977 by John and Jude Lubrano. Since that time, we have issued over 60 catalogues and specialized lists offering autograph musical manuscripts and letters of composers; rare printed music; rare books on music and dance; and original prints, drawings and ephemera relating to music and dance, and have come to be recognized as among the leading international dealers in antiquarian music and dance material.”

“In the Italian opera world of the seventeenth century, laments and mad scenes were a genre in themselves. These scenes were often the highlights of the performances and the stars were most often women. The pure voice, the female singer and her capacity for embellishing and embroidering the music were objects of lively discussions in the academic circles of that time. The concept of ”pure voice” is once again in focus in a new thesis, the first of its kind in the subject Performance in Theatre and Music Drama at the Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

“These papers where chosen from the more than 60 papers presented at the conference symposium: 3rd International Conference on Integrity, Reliability & Failure. Of interest to early music instrument builders: “Vibration Testing for the Evaluation of the Effects of Moisture Content on the In-Plane Elastic Constants of Wood used in Musical Instruments , by M. A. Pérez, P. Poletti and L. Gil “

Qualities of motion and emotion in song come from poetic images, melody, harmony, and voice leading, but they also come from rhythm and meter-the flow and articulation of words and music in time. This book explores rhythm and meter in the nineteenth-century German Lied, including songs for voice and piano by Fanny Hensel nee Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Hugo Wolf.

Poetry by Anne Southwell, a strongly Calvinist writer, appears in two extant manuscripts. It is possible that they were both assembled under the supervision of Southwell herself and/or her second husband Henry Sibthorpe.

As well as secular and religious poetry by Southwell, the Folger manuscript contains a wide range of miscellaneous material: verse from songbooks and poems by Henry King, Arthur Gorges and Walter Ralegh (none attributed correctly), prose texts by Southwell and others and memoranda of various kinds, including 'A List of my Bookes' (Cavanaugh 1967).

Of interest to our readers? Part history, part explanation of early music, this book also plays devil's advocate, criticizing current practices and urging experimentation. Haynes, a veteran of the movement, describes a vision of the future that involves improvisation, rhetorical expression, and composition. Written for musicians and non-musicians alike.

From Back to Haas and from Lasso to Brahms, just a reminder to those who have not recently perused the catalogue pages of Breitkopf & Härtel. You may find something of interest for your performing tastes.